Valencia, City of Silk 2016

A highly symbolic event will be held in Valencia, on October 8th 2015, to launch the initiative of Valencia, City of Silk 2016, under the auspices of M. José Manuel Garcia-Margallo, Spanish Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation. , M.  Garcia-Margallo will receive in Valencia all the Ambassadors of countries along the the Silk Roads  in order to  exchange national visions and projects on the contemporary dimension of  this historical route.

This important diplomatic meeting, which responds to a suggestion made by M. José Maria Chiquillo, Senator for Valencia and Spanish Focal Point for the UNESCO Silk Roads Online Platform is co-organized by the Spanish Commission for UNESCO and CASA ASIA, a national institution based in Barcelona. It will be hosted in the Center of Valencia, in  the spectacular gothic architecture of the Lonja de la Seda (House of Silk Traders, UNESCO World Heritage since 1996).The meeting will also bring together representatives of local civil society organizations and economic partners interested in strengthening intercultural dialogue and cultural tourism. Co-sponsored by the Regional Administration, the Generalitat Valenciana, and chaired by its  President M. Ximo Puig the meeting will include a visit to the College of High Silk Art (Colegio del Arte Mayor de la Seda), currently under a restoration process to completed   early 2016.